Chase ends with crash outside police headquarters

The scene unfolded as Channel 2’s Tom Jones was preparing for a report on Channel 2 Action News at Noon on an unrelated story. Jones and his photographer heard a screeching noise, and turned around to find a man abandoning a wrecked Buick Century.

A county officer with Jones yelled at the man to stop running, but Jones said the man disappeared around a corner. The officer ran after the man with his gun drawn, and soon, there were at least a half-dozen patrol cars in the area.

By the time Jones went on air for his noon report, the driver was in custody, in the back seat of a police car. Police said the man tripped over his sagging pants.

“I believe he ran out of his pants when he was attempting to flee from apprehension,” Clayton County police Major Kevin Roberts said. “Unfortunately, they were not fitting as well as they should have been.”

Twenty-year-old Elijah Freeman was arrested.

Police said it all started with a carjacking. They said the victim’s boyfriend chased the carjacker and flagged down an officer before the driver crashed.

Police also believe Freeman was involved in two robberies and a burglary. They said he had some of the stolen goods, including an X-Box, in the car with him.

“We were able to recover the stolen vehicle and the firearm he used during the incident,” Roberts said.